Chronicles from the Land of the Happiest People on Earth

"Another notable new novel of fall 2021 is Wole Soyinka’s Chronicles from the Land of the Happiest People on Earth, due to be published in the US and UK on 28 September, which is the Nobel laureate’s first novel in almost fifty years. It’s billed by the publisher as “at once a literary hoot, a crafty whodunit, and a scathing indictment of Nigeria’s political elite”, which features stolen body parts, Yoruba royalty and a murdered engineer. It’s dense and complex, but with a sense of humour. I should also note the imminent arrival in North America of several British novels of note: Lean Fall Stand by Jon McGregor, the story of an Antarctic accident and its aftermath which I recommended a few months ago ; also Small Pleasures by Clare Chambers, an uplifting tale of an apparent virgin birth in 1950s England that’s been a word of mouth hit; plus Dolly Alderton’s very popular dating disaster novel Ghosts , which will appeal to anyone who enjoyed her bestselling memoir of single life, Everything I Know About Love . And don’t forget When We Cease to Understand the World , the mind-expanding novel of scientific and mathematical discovery, translated by Adrian Nathan West and shortlisted for the 2021 International Booker Prize . First published in the original Spanish back in 2017, and available in the UK since 2020, it’s finally made its way stateside. The Booker judges called it “dazzlingly clever” and I can only concur—it’s quite astonishing. It’s published by New York Review Books on Sept 28: don’t miss it. Part of our best books of 2021 series."